New Members Suffer from Anxiety The outsider—insider passage produces anxiety. Stress is high because the new member feels a lack of identification—if not with the work itself, certainly with a new supervisor, new coworkers, a new work location, and new rules and regulations. Loneliness and a feeling of isolation are not unusual. This anxiety state has at least two implications. First, new employees need special attention to put them at ease. This usually means providing adequate information to reduce uncertainty and ambiguity. Second, tension can be positive in that it often motivates individuals to learn the values and norms of their newly assumed role as quickly as possible. The new member is usually anxious about the new role but motivated to learn the ropes and rapidly become an accepted member of the organization.